City of Snow
by L. B. Frost
Summary: In an alternate universe, a dark figure dressed in a coat walks the back alleys of the grimy city, a cig on his lips and blood on his hands. His name is Jack Frost, and no one meet's him and lives.
1. Chapter 1

He walked through the street, taking a drag on his cig, hair hanging in his eyes again as a cold breeze whipped around the corners of the alleyway, for once not controlled by him.

Jack Frost ground the cig out under the heel of his boot, and sighed, Joan Jett's Bad Reputation blaring in his ears through his red ipod's earbuds, the night sounds of traffic and people yelling muffled by the punk rocker's rough tones.

He walked on, the dark heels of his boots clicking on the cement, water dripping from a nearby vent in a statico pattern on an upturned trash can splashing them with tepid water as he passed, getting a fresh cig out of the pack in his front pocket.

The street was busy, people rushing around him... and through him.

Years of this had gotten him used to it, as adults with sex, drugs, work, and murder on their minds trapsed past the last vestige of their childhood like it was nothing.

He was pissed tonight, so he stabbed a few with ice bursts, causing them to gasp and fall as ice shot into their guts, a heart attack by all visable means.

" That's what you get, whore. " He sneered, as a woman of 20 or so collapsed, moaning in pain.

He let loose a puff of smoke, walking on as a siren began to blare, a scared teen with bad ache and and peg legged jeans calling 911 as his cheap girlfriend, or hooker, by the looks of her, barfed in the bushes when blood slowly ran from the woman's mouth and nose, the ice breaking her organs.

Jack took to the sky, riding his staff like a surfboard on a high wake, his coat flying ourt behind him to reveal his muscular chest, fine fuzz dusting around his pale nipples, the belly flat and abed.

" Wooohaaaaa!" He yelled, doing crazy loop the loops above a small park, scattering birds and small animals as the tree's frosted over with dark ice, a few freezing to death.

The ipod shuffled, and he grinned as Joan Jett sang in his ear, whooping and laughing as he rode the skywinds like an etheral ghost.

_" Don't tell me what to do, and don't tell me what to say..."_

" Fucking sing it, Joanie baby!" He yelled, doing a crazed loop around the small lake, neatly beheading a group of swans for no reason other than to see the blood splurt.

_" You don't own me... don't try to change me in anyway"_

He swung aroung the park , catching a lightpost to swing around in a wide circle, coming to a stop on top of a bench.

Beneath him, a teenage boy fumblingly pressed to his girlfriend, both pantsless and gasping.

" Didn't your mother ever tell you not to fuck on the first date?" Jack quiped, watching for a while as the act reached cresonda.

" Ahhh...god..." The boy panted, arching, as the girl clutched him to her.

Jack smirked, fingering his staff. " Not quite."

He swung the staff, and the boys head shattered in a spray of blood and brains, the girl's screams echoing around the park as she struggled to get out from under the oozing corpse's weight.

" Oh, honey, no... shhhh..."

Jack stabbed down, then upwards, the girls screams dying in a gurgle and wet tearing sound.

_" Don't tell me what to do, and don't tell me what to say..."_

Jack light another cig, and walked off, whistling a happy little tune as he danced through the pale circles of light thrown by the streetlights lining the park's gravel path, his shadow waxing and waning behind him in his wake.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack groaned, pressing into her, shuddering as his release came.

He closed his eyes, feeling her react to him, then got up, buckling his pants.

" Baby...Jesus... what do you eat? Anti Freeze? It was like ice cream..."

Jack looked at her, sprawled in the alley, naked, and smirked. " Like you'd notice any difference; you fake every move."

She sat up, her eyes fearful. " No... baby... it was wonderful..." She stroked his thigh, smiling up at him.

He smiled back ,then waved his hand, double spikes of ice shooting from her eye sockets in a spray of gore, the body thumping to the cement with a wet slap.

He sighed, popping another cig in his mouth.

He centered his hands over the body, and caused it to ice over, the skin turning a light blue.

A swift kick, and the evidence was gone, only shards of light pink and blue ice left to scatter across the alley, along with a small puddle of semen.

He looked at this with distaste, taking a deep drag.

He tossed his cig to the alley's filthy concrete, and ground it out with the soul of his boot, walking on like nothing had happened, allowing himself to go invisible.

It took a lot of his strength, but he could become visible to anyone for brief periods, long enough for a cheap fuck with a whore in an alley.

He sighed, hands in his coat's deep pockets, the wind rushing past cold and ice tinged, the chill of winter on the horizen.

He came to the park from last night, now empty, and idily iced over the pond, killing the koi swimming around in it.

Another power he'd recently discovered was a basic summoning for his staff: he used to clutch it to him like a goddamn security blanket, but he realized he could cause to vanish and reappear at will.

He used it now, taking to the sky like a wraith from Hell, darkening the moon as he did useless loop the loops around the skyline, his mood as cloudy as the dark sky above.

He couldn't think straight when he was like this: not even fucking had helped soothe his tumluscent thoughts, swirling and crashing like a storm in his mind.

He landed, and sat on his staff like he used to, watching the sun rise over the skyline of the city to start another day.


	3. Chapter 3

Night again, 1:30 am, E.S.T:

He walked the alleys, ipod blaring the same song over and over, his mood still dark, his mind blissfully quiet as the music blared into his ears at full volume.

" Somebody get me through this nightmare, I can't control myself..." He sang, his voice deep, not like the higher voice of the 17 year old boy of the past.

While still the same age in the natural sense, Jack's mind had aged, 304 years changing him.

After he'd turned his back on the Guardianship, the Moon utterly ignored him, going behind clouds whenever possible when he was out after dark.

Didn't matter: he made his bed, time to sleep in it.

A door banged open, and a laughing teen guy with dark hair and chiseld good looks came out, dragging a very drunk girl after him, beer foam still on the whispy hairs on his chin.

" Let's fuck... I'm so horny, baby..." He said to her in what Jack assumed was a lame attempt at a seductive tone, yanking at her blouse.

She cried out, reeling through the drunken stupor long enough to know something was wrong.

The boy roughly grabbed her breast, licking the nipple, the girl slapping at his head in a feeble attempt to esape, motor skills dulled by one too many drinks.

Jack took a deep drag on his cig, and stepped out from the shadows, walking towards the pair as the boy slipped his hand into the girls too short skirt.

" Hey dickface: back off. "

The boy looked up, a stupid drunken grin on his face. " Shit, man: you can have seconds, just wait a few minutes..."

Jack pitched his cig to the ground, grinding it out with his boot. " I said... back the fuck off."

" Hey, fuck you, man: Just getting some action. Chill, bitch."

Chill? Jack laughed, taking a spread legged stance.

He made a fist, and his staff appeared in his hands in a rush of cold air, ice forming at the tip.

As the boy unzipped his pants and began moving his hips towards the girl, Jack swung in a full circle, and slammed the tip into his back.

He stilled, the girl struggling beneath him.

After a few seconds, the first tears showed in his skin, widening as the ice burst through his organs and flesh.

The boy literally self imploded, blood and bits of skin flying all over the shocked girl, a lump of gore streaked ice thudding to the concrete.

She looked at him, blonde dyede hair matted with blood, face streaked in red. " T...thank you."

He popped a frseh cig out of the pack, lighting the match with his tumb. " Get going: cops'll be here soon."

She took off, and Jack walked away, boots squelching in the boys heart.

He looked down with distaste, then let loose a wild laugh.

" Well, shit: Momma always said i'd be a heart breaker someday."

He scraped the mess of with a rag, laughing. " Bet she didn't mean this."

_" Somebody help me tame this animal..."_

He vanished into the shadows, as the first sirens began to wail.


	4. Chapter 4

The sun set, the city quieting.

He prefered the night: it hid the sins, the scars, the blood... it hid him from himself, as he walked the alleys and roads, always smoking.

Why not: he was immortal, after all. He didn't exactly have to worry about cancer or anything.

The night beat was dead at this hour, the streets dark and silent, the weekend coming to a crawl as Sunday died its usual silent death, the dread of Monday on the horizon.

His old ipod had broken in the fight the previous night, so he sported a new death black one, a skull and flame decal on the front.

Tonight it was Emily Browning, her soft voice crooning " Sweet Dreams Are Made of These " in his ears as he walked through the quiet roads, the night oppresive around him.

A cold breeze was starting to blow, storm clouds blotting out the moon above, allowing Jack freedom from Manny's watchful eyes for the first time in months.

He knew the Man in The Moon considered him a failure, but he also kept the occasional watch on him, often interupting Jack's night meeting with local hookers with un needed moonbeams shining in his face.

Jack ran a hand across his chin, feeling the few soft hairs that he'd been so proud of all those years ago, the first real sign he was becoming a man.

" Like that shit matters now..." He muttered bitterly: time had made him into a man anyway, time and pain, loss, and bloodshed.

He walked alone, his thoughts dark, the night's cold air not helping.

He was in the same old park from a few nights ago, the paths empty and deserted at this ungodly hour.

He took to the sky without even using his staff, soaring low over the tree tops like some sort of bat, landing with a thud on the roof of the small gazebo in the park's center, watching the lightning flicker across the clouds.

After a while he felt his mood lighten, as the flashes illuminated a figure walking along the paths below, a hood over its head.

A murder always cheered him up.

He swung to the ground, landing lightly on the grass, taking a running leap to land in front of the figure.

" Hey kiddo..." He said with a smirk.

The figure looked up, dark hair falling in its eyes.

" J... Jack?"

Jack stared. " Jesus Christ... Sophie?"


	5. Chapter 5

" It's been a long time, Jack Frost. " Sophie said, tossing her head back to get the hood of her dark hair, purple streaks dyed into it in criss cross patterns.

" Yes... it has..." Jack said, choosing his words carefully. The last thing he wanted was Sophie runnning off to Jamie to tell him about his chosen life style: his belief still fueled Jack, all these years later.

" How you been? I see you've... uhmm... grown.." Sophie said, averting her gaze.

Jack realized his jacket was open, his muscled chest on view, a light scattering of hair around his light pink nipples.

He closed his jacket, and light a fresh cig, puffing. " Not really: boots make me taller." He grinned, pulling up his pants cuff to show her the leather boots he wore, the heels elevated.

Sophie smiled, and looked off into the night.

" It was good to see you Ja..."

She fell, a dark figure rushing past her, laughing as it dangled her purse from a gloved hand.

Jack ran after the figure, summoning his staff.

With a thrust and quick jerk, he sent the figure, a buff male in dark clothes, in two directions, warm blood splattering his face.

He paused to lick the spot of it off his chin, the grabbed Sophie's purse.

By the time he'd gotten back to her, he saw the blood, and knew she'd been stabbed.


	6. Chapter 6

He knelt besides her, his ipod falling to the ground, the earbuds flying to the grass, a song kicking on as the cheap plastic cracked.

_" And so they say, Lord, for everything a reason..."_

Jack gently picked up Sophie's head, watching her eyes flutter as she tried to speak, only a blood bubble coming from her pale lips.

" J... J... Jack..."

_" And so they say, baby, for everything a reason..."_

" Shhhh...it's going to be ok... you're going to be fine..." He was lying: the wound was deep, puncturing her rib. She would bleed out in under a few minutes.

" Jack..." She tried again, her breathing shallow.

" Shhhh... shhhh, baby..." He held her close, rocking back and forth, tears spilling from his eyes.

_" Come back to me... come back to me..."_

She was fading, her breathing slowing. " Bu... B..."

" Shhhh... Sophie... ssshhh..."

" Bunny... hop...hop..."

With that, those words Jack still remembered after all the passed years, Sophie's eyes fluttered shut, and she passed, Jack's tears icing over on her skin into hard droplette's.

He threw back his head, cords standing out in his neck, and yelled, yelled at the night, yelled for loss, yelled for pain...

Yelled for the loss of an innocent, one who had believed in him from the start.

He held her close, sobbing, not caring if he was visible or not.

After a few minutes, he stilled, knowing sobbing did no good.

He stood, wiping at his nose with the back of his hand, and gave Sophie's body a last, mournful look, before waving his hands over it.

The body stiffened, and turned to solid snow, a light breeze carrying it away with a gentle sound like laughing.

He walked on, his boot crunching the ipod with a swift strike, popping a fresh cig in his mouth.

His foot hit something, and he looked down: the thug's body, or atleast the top section of it, lay on the sidewalk in a mess of gore, the eyes staring glassily up at the dark sky.

Leather gloves wrapped around his meaty fingers, and Jack bent to tug them off, pulling out a severed pinky with disgust.

In his grasp, the gloves iced over, frost curling in a skull like pattern across the palms and backs.

He smiled, and walked on, leaving nothing but a corpse, a trail of smoke, and the scent of newly fallen snow.


	7. Chapter 7

The night passed, as it always did, but Jack didn't want the night to end, as he crouched in a tree overlooking a small duck pond, hugging his knees, his feet bare for the first time in a while, toes curled around the tree's rough bark.

Hot tears ran down his face, as he watched the sun peek over the tops of the tree's, hugging his knee's tighter as the first rays hit him, burying his face in his lap, sobbing.

Sophie... that fucking bastard had killed Sophie. Sophie... the first to believe in Bunnymund all those years ago when she'd snuck into the Warren, the ankle biter...

now just dust in the wind, a corpse.

He sniffled, a light breeze playing through his hair; this wasn't helping anything. Crying solved nothing.

He leapt from the tree like a cat, landing hard on the balls of his feet on the soft ground below.

He laced up his boots, and started walking, aimless as always, popping a fresh cig in his mouth, the last in the pack.

He had some cash, picked from gutters and the purses of old ladies at bus stops, so it was no problem to head to the local gas station to get another pack of cigs.

He had to wait behind a tall man with bad acne, who was arguing about the price of a Playboy with the frazzled looking cashier, a young woman with red hair and freckles across her nose, green eyes squinting out from behind cats eye glasses.

" Yeah, fuck you, cunt." The man grunted, angrily pushing passed Jack to bang out of the store.

" Jesus... what a dick." Jack said, smiling at the girl.

" Tell me about it. " She said, flipping her hair out of her eyes and smiling shyly back at him. " That gonna be all?"

Jack smirked, and pointed to a brightly coloured box behind the counter. " One of those too, please."

The girl's cheeks reddened, but she got the box of condoms for him, placing them quickly on the counter like it had bitten her.

He tipped her a wink, ever the charmer. " See you around."

" H..have a nice day." The girl stammered, her gaze so obviously on his butt as he walked away it was almost comical.

Outside the store, Jack pocketed the condoms: granted, he did need some, but it was mostly flirting that had led to the purchase.

It was also a lame attempt at pretending the night before hadn't happened.

He popped a fresh cig, lighting his match on a stunted tree by the parking lot, cupping his hands to keep the flame from going out.

As he stood there, taking deep drags, he spotted the girl from the checkout, headed to her car after her nightshift, name tag pinned crookedly to her guady uniform shirt.

Jack caught a glance at the name: Merida, an old fashiond short of name, but pretty. Reminded Jack of Ireland.

He smirked: he was letting his cock do his thinking again.

He laughed, tossing the half cig to the ground, where it fizzed out in a puddle, and walked off, allowing himself to fade away, passing right through a teen girl on her way to school.

She yelped, clutching her chest, making him smirk.


	8. Chapter 8

The next day was stormy, as he walked the alleys as usual, smoking cig after cig, trying to drown his sorrows in a chain smoke marathon, and failing utterly.

He kicked at a can, somehow enjoying the dent his boot made in it.

Sighing, he summoned his staff, and boredly trailed it over windows, icing swear words into them, something that usually made him crack up, but did nothing for him know.

He wondered if Sophie's parents knew... he wondered if Jamie..

_You're NOT going there..._

A rattling noise made him turn, instantly on the defensive.

" Aww, rack off, Frostbite." A familiar voice said, as a figure stepped into the light.

"Shit... Bunny?" Jack leaned back on his staff, folding his arms. " Long time no see."

" Same to you, Frostboy." Said Bunny, rolling his eyes.

More patterns were dyed into the Pooka's fur, and Jack spotted leather straps running along his legs, a few knives and boomerangs tucked into them.

" So... what bring's you topside? Easter's in a few months..."

Bunny sighed, pinching his nose. " I can't believe I'm saying this to you..but..."

Bunny rolled his eyes. " North demanded I get you: you're still technically the last Guardian."

Jack took a deep drag, blowing a snowflake shaped cloud at Bunny, who coughed, waving a paw in front of his face.

" You know I gave that shit up, Bun. "

" We know about Sophie, Jack. "

Jack stared, taking another deep drag, closing his eyes. " Wasn't my fault."

" The same can't be said for the whores and pimps you've killed. Or that teenager."

Jack clenched his fist. " You're walking on thin ice, Bun."

" Says the corpse."

" YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP, DICKFACE!"

Bunnymund laughed scornfully, and tapped the concrete.

Jack screamed obsenities at Bunny the whole drop down the Warren tunnel.


	9. Chapter 9

The tunnel opened up in the hustle and bustle of North's workshop, as Jack fell on his ass in the center of the room, Bunnymund hopping delicately to his feet next to him.

Toothiana fluttered by, worry in her eyes.

" H..hi Jack.." She half-whispered, looking away.

" Yeah...whatever." Jack grunted, getting to his feet.

He glanced around the room, popping a fresh cig from the carton in his pocket.

" So.." He said, putting it in his mouth and striking a match off the stonework of the wall, " What the fuck is this circle jerk about, anyway?"

Toothiana's eyes widened. " Jack...no...your teeth..."

Jack grinned, blowing a snowflake-shaped cloud at her face. " Relax, they ain't going anywhere."

Bunnymund tapped his foot. " Jack, stop being a dick."

" Bite me, Bunnycock."

Bunnymund lookede away, as Jack smoked the cig to ash, then light a new one.

" Anyone gonna be here soon or..?"

Toothiana glanced out of the corner of her eye at Jack. " North's on his way. Sandy's not going to be here for awhile yet."

She suddenly got in his face. " Why are you just so...ahhh.." She threw her hands up in the air, and fluttered away, holding her elbows close and muttering.

" What the fuck crawled up her ass?" Jack said, flicking the butt away.

Bunnymund lost it: bounding across the room, he slammed Jack against the wall, getting in his face.

" Listen here ya gumby: wise the hell up. We wouldn't have bothered with your useless rear if we didn't need help, you got that? This isn't a game!"

He let Jack drop, his nose twitching. " We've got a new threat."

" Her name's Mother Nature." Toothiana said, fluttering close.

" She's Pitch's daughter."


	10. Chapter 10

" Excuse me, what? "

Jack was not exactly pleased to hear about his ex, but...the bitch never could keep her temper under wraps.

Toothiana sighed, settling on the edge of a workbench, remebering the Jack Frost of older years, the innocent teenager...not this rough, hardspoken trash in front of her.

Bunnymund grunted. folding his arms: for the first time, Jack noticed a egg shaped earring dangling from one long ear, a sign that even the other Guardians had changed a tad over the years.

Toothiana seemed realtivly unchanged, except for long swords of elf iron strapped to her sides in leather holsters, and an air of one who has seen too much about her face.

" Jack...shut the hell up and listen for once. This isn't about you, you selfish bas.."

" Bunny: enough." Toothiana interupted, fluttering close to Jack.

" Please...help us.." She whispered, sounding on the verge of tears.

Jack blinked, then turned his back. " I'm not doing shit."

He winced, a sharp pain rocking through his head, Bunny's thrown boomerang flying back to his hand.

" No...you shut the fuck up you selfish child!" He yelled, grabbing Jack by his collar, anger and a touch of fear and empathy in his eyes, nose twitching.

" You gave your oath as a Guardian: I don't care what you are now, but that oath stands. "

" Let me go you overgrown hairb.."

Jack's head snapped back as Bunny's fist connected with his mouth, blood gushing.

Bunnymund dropped him, and Jack stared up from the floor at him ,rubbing his mouth, fingers tipped with red.

" You'd better shape up, Frostbite...this is more than all of us put together."


End file.
